Old timer at a shop in Cleveland convinced me to stop fighting with certain materials

I was at Apex Tooling in Cleveland last month picking up some end mills. This guy Bob, must be 70 years old, watched me grab a carbide bit for some tough stainless I was wrestling with. He just said 'you know, that ain't the problem, it's your feed rate screaming at you.' I always thought I needed harder bits for everything, but he showed me his setup on his phone - running slower with HSS on a job. Changed my mind on the spot. Anyone else ever had an old pro flip your whole approach with just a few words?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_coleman1020d ago

Man that Bob sounds like a gem. Had a similar thing happen with an old machinist in Detroit who told me to stop fighting the chatter and let the tool do its thing. Totally changed how I run my lathe now. What kind of stainless were you working with?

christopher94320d ago

Oh man I can barely keep my tape measure straight, forget a lathe!

grace8920d agoTop Commenter

Stop fighting the chatter" sounds like what I tell my cat when she's hissing at the toaster.